Over two years ago I joined the Alamo Heights Rotary Club, not fully knowing what I was getting into. As time went on my curiosity for Rotary turned into fondness, then excitement, and today I have a complete love for Rotary! My feelings have strengthened not only from the relationships I’ve made with other Rotarians but also from the information I’ve learned in the Rotary Learning Center.
As President Elect of my club I feel it’s my responsibility to learn as much as I can about Rotary so that I can be an effective leader. The Rotary Learning Center provides the opportunity to not only learn about what happens in Rotary at the local level but knowledge is expanded all the way up to the international level. Each time I go through a course I learn something new. The Rotary Learning Center isn’t just a tool for those looking to become part of the leadership within Rotary, it’s also a tremendous opportunity for those just joining Rotary to learn more about how Rotary works and the impact we have on the entire world. Current or long time members will also find the Rotary Learning Center as a great place to refresh their knowledge of how Rotary works.
As we navigate the COVID pandemic and stay in our homes to help cut down on the spread of the virus, many find ourselves looking for something to do. Going through the courses in the Rotary Learning Center provides an opportunity to break up the monotony of quarantine life. It’s completely up to you how much time you spend working on courses and which courses you take. Many, if not all of our clubs, have transitioned to meeting online via Zoom, Teams, Skype, etc. For those struggling to maintain interest in their club meetings and to maintain attendance, there’s a section in the Rotary Learning Center that provides tips for conducting meetings online.
The course structure is different for each lesson and very user friendly. In some courses you might have a link to a video. In others you’ll decide how to work through situations that arise in all of our clubs and you’ll receive guidance regarding the best course of action to take in tricky situations. For those looking to join leadership positions in their clubs, you’ll find a wealth of resources such as position descriptions, templates, and links to various discussion groups you can join. One neat feature I just came across is the Question and Answer section. Sometimes you need a person to answer your questions but you might not know what person to ask. In the Rotary Learning Center you can ask a question and you’ll receive an answer from another Rotarian. You can even access a list of the top 10 questions to see if others have already asked the same question that you have.
My most enjoyable quality Rotarians possess is the desire to put service above self. A close runner up quality would be the willingness Rotarians have to constantly learn something new. If you haven’t already explored the Rotary Learning Center I would highly encourage it. Just login to your account at myrotary.org, click on Learning & Reference, and scroll down to Learning Center. I promise that the learning experience won’t disappoint!